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Rampart (DVD)
by thedevilinme Boring! Star - Woody Harrelson Genre - Crime Drama County - USA Certificate - 18R Run Time - 108 minutes Blockbusters - £2.00 per night rental Amazon - £DVD (£.00 Blue Ray) ---------------------------------------------------- Bad Cop - "I am not a racist. Fact is, I hate ... all people equally. And if it helps, I've slept with some of your people. You wanna be mad at someone, try J. Edgar Hoover. He was a racist. Or the Founding Fathers, all slave-owners". . Rampart is a district of Los Angeles, California, this police drama a fictional tale based loosely around the 'Rampart Scandal', that saw widespread police corruption back in the 1990s, culminating in 70 officers being investigated and climaxed by a white officer shooting dead a black office after a staged traffic collision, Woody Harrelson representing that particular breed of seedy corrupt career cop here. The death of the rapper the Notorious BIG was also linked to the Rampart goings on, Black and Latino officers discovered to have had links to the infamous BLOODS gang. It was around the time of Rodney King and put the confidence in the police at an all-time low in the city. Rampart pitches itself as not just another bad cop action film and has pretense to a cerebral drama. It's a movie that tries to get to grips with the publics love hate relationship with the police. For the London riots you saw middle - class business owners quite rightfully moaning about poor policing that allowed the riots to spread away from the rough areas and into the nice ones. But when you see the same white - collar tribe moaning about over zealous policing at marches where their student's sons and daughters are protesting the contradiction is clear. Do you want hard policing or soft policing and should you only crack heads in the ghetto? The death of the homeless guy where the copper, after a long tiring day of policing aimless protesting, downed him with a weary but needed strike of the baton to a booze soaked liver and so caused a huge uproar seemed to sum up the publics contradiction with the MET. That's the roughhouse cop they needed on the night of the riots and who would not have stood back and let their coffee shops and cheese shops burn yet they don't want him being able to use his baton when he needs to. As Woody Harrelson's warped police officer growls - 'cops have to sometimes break the law to enforce it'. Harrelson is an interesting character and has plenty experience of the cops to play this brooding part. He has been arrested five times over the years for various misdemeanors, contradicting his Hanover, Iowa Bible Belt upbringing, and his father was a contract killer and was arrested for the killing of Federal Judge in 1979. Pop was convicted and eventually died during his life sentence. Harrelson topped off his eclectic CV by appearing in ITVs Soccer Aid, a UICEF charity football match at Wembley stadium, completing the midfield of Gordon Ramsay, Bradley Walsh and Ralf Little, subbed for Olly Murs. The film is the second partnership with writer/director Oren Movermen, previously together on the equally atmospheric and moody The Messenger, detailing the day in the life of the soldiers that have to go around America breaking the news to loved ones that their sons and daughters have been killed in action. And like that movie, Woody is in pretty much in every scene of this one, very much a character study of a man at the end of his career and has become the job. Woody is rather good at that dark brooding misanthropic. ===Cast=== * Woody Harrelson as Dave Brown * Ned Beatty as Hartshorn * Ben Foster as "General" Terry * Anne Heche as Catherine * Ice Cube as Kyle Timkins * Cynthia Nixon as Barbara * Sigourney Weaver as Joan Confrey * Robin Wright as Linda Fentress * Steve Buscemi as Bill Blago * Brie Larson as Helen * Don Creech as Head Shark Lawyer * Jon Bernthal as Dan Morone * Robert Wisdom as the Captain === The Plot === Career street cop Dave Brown (Harrelson) has two ex-wives who are sisters (Anne Heche and Cynthia Nixon) and he cheated on both, a rascal and drinker, paying taxes, being nice to people and looking after his kids not on the radar. Brown has a daughter from each marriage which creates conflict at home. His real home is the beat, patrolling L.A's gang streets. Dave routinely forcibly obtains confession through violence and not a big fan of ethnic minorities, and saying so to all who will listen. He is not a good cop and polices the street the way he thinks it needs to be. He's probably right and a product of it. When his squad car is T-Boned at a junction and he jumps out and batons a black guy in broad daylight for the accident he is caught on a cell phone and soon playing on national TV. When he is involved in a suspicious shooting later that week after a store robbery the chief has no choice but to call Internal Affairs to investigate him, the Rampart District in serious need of it with police corruption widespread, Dave Brown set to be the public scapegoat. Dave has previous and not likely to survive this one. He now faces tough sanctions or forced retirement. But Dave is a cop through and through and not about to back down, assistant district attorney (Sigourney Weaver) having to put the thumb screws on him to walk away or face a murder rap. It doesn't take long for Dave to twig that his superiors are less concerned about what he has done but more concerned about the public embarrassment he has created by getting caught, his thin blue line the only one that works but not what anyone in authority wants to admit to. === Results === This is one of those films the critics loved and the public were bored stiff off, of which as both critic and viewer I can concur, well, with the bored bit. With the far superior End of Watch out on the Blockbuster shelf I can't see a reason to recommend this to you. Ok, Woody Harrelson is good in it and continuing his good work from the Messenger as a seriously flawed character from the services but the story quickly gets stuffy and political and slows things down. The meaty character Harrelson plays is basically thrown into a weak storyline and made to make it work. What keeps the movie engaging for as long as it does is Harrelson. The rest of it is meaningless and lightweight politics. Of course cops have to break the law to enforce it but if that's the message of your movie play it proper and intelligently. White cops may not like ethnic people on the job because they are always arresting them, as simple as that. I would have liked to have seen more of that grappled with in the scripting. I get that he doesn't do the grey area but the director should have. The main problem with this is that his anti-hero character is so unrealistic and unlikeable that is how you end up feeling about the movie. It's starts out as Training Day and so hope of entertainment but ends up running out of ideas and a moral centre. Its almost as if the writer and director set out to blame both bent cops and high ethnic crime rates for the cities problems, like we saw in the excellent and daring Crash, and then just backs off and blames one rogue cop to save office, the films narrative after all. A detailed drama based around the scandal case would have been more engaging and we perhaps would have learnt something and, more importantly, taken sides and got emotionally involved in this movie. I need to be part of the movie when I watch it. The audience, like the public critic, wasn't favorable and it barely made $2 million box office from its $20 million budget. If you want to see a cool white cop movie in the ghetto then End of Watch and Colors would be the two I would recommend. This could have been good if it asked the question that maybe police become racist because of the job. In the end it's just as dull and tired as a cop after a long day of politically correct policing in Brixton and may leave you as equally exasperating for not being able to get the job done because of too many sensibilities. This movie, like the police, lost its authority and my respect a long time ago... === Ratings === Imdb.com - 5.9/10.0 (13,418 votes) Metacritc.com - 70% critic's approval rating (users 41%) Rottentomatos.com - 74% critic's approval rating (users 37%) ===Critics=== The Toronto Star -'This isn't your average out-of-control character, and Harrelson has to work against a narrowly defined screenplay that is short on specifics'. Daily Telegraph -'Rampart might be a worthy attempt to probe the banality of evil, but after an hour and a half of its near-unvarying gruesomeness, it's the film that starts to feel decidedly banal'. The NY Post -'trying to be both an arty character study and a dynamic drama at the same time but unable to excel at either'. The Times -'This movie feels too undecided. The movie is so intent on not being "Training Day" that it just isn't "Training Day" enough'. Totalfilm.com -'Rampart asks a lot of its audience, and offers very little in return' ============ Read the complete review |
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Enough (DVD)
by GentleGenius RELEASED: 2002, Cert. 15 RUNNING TIME: Approx.115 mins DIRECETOR: Michael Apted PRODUCERS: Rob Cowan & Irwin Winkler SCREENPLAY: Nicholas Kazan MUSIC: David Arnold MAIN CAST:- Jennifer Lopez as Slim Hiller Billy Campbell as Mitch Hiller Tessa ... Allen as Gracie Hiller Juliette Lewis as Ginny Noah Wyle as Robbie Dan Futterman as Joe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FILM ONLY REVIEW Enough begins when Slim, who works as a waitress in a diner with her friend Ginny, is chatted up by a man. It immediately turns out that the man's intentions were the result of a bet, and Mitch, who is sitting nearby, hears what goes on and comes to Slim's rescue....from that point onwards, a romance begins. Slim and Mitch marry, then go on to have a little daughter, Gracie. A few years after their marriage, Slim discovers that Mitch is having an affair, the latest woman being one in a long line of notches on the bedpost. When she protests, Mitch becomes violent, yet promises her that it is she who he really wants and the other affairs don't mean anything. He insists that because he is the sole provider and gives Slim a good lifestyle, she must in return tolerate anything he throws at her, as part of the bargain. After having a meeting with her mother-in-law, Slim decides to leave Mitch.....but, it doesn't turn out to be as easy as she expects. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I have seen quite a few films on the topic of domestic violence, so was interested to see how Enough would deal with the issue. The first thing which irritated me was Juliette Lewis, as I find her exceedingly creepy. Her acting performance was exactly how she comes across in Cape Fear, except - due of course to her being older - with a slightly deeper and huskier voice. However, I did feel comfortable with Jennifer Lopez's portrayal of battered wife Slim, and as far as I'm concerned she did put a lot into her role. I found the acting by the males in the main cast a bit touch and go, in the sense that I had the impression of them being actors rather than real characters. When I watch any kind of film, I want to be transported outside of myself and have complete involvement in the storyline as if it was really happening, and I find it decidedly difficult to do that if any of the actors come across as unnatural, just as Billy Campbell and Dan Futterman as Mitch Hiller and Joe respectively, in Enough. I found the beginning of Enough a bit too rushed, and wasn't keen on the construction.....I'd like to have seen far more concentration put into building up the levels of tension and ultimate violence that Slim experienced when challenging Mitch about his affairs. I also didn't like the musical score, as it was too obvious and I feel damaged the very little that was good about the story rather, than enhanced it. Whilst watching Enough, I had the feeling I was looking at one of these early 1980s American TV dramas, or even at a pinch, something like Dallas. Certain things in the storyline didn't quite tie up for me....for instance, I consider it very unusual in that it took Mitch some years before he raised his hand to Slim and actually hit her. Prior to the first incident of violence, it appears that the couple was rubbing along happily together with no major flies in the ointment. I have done a little work in the past with victims of domestic violence, and in all cases I came across, the violence was present much earlier on in the relationship....maybe not until after any couple marry or decide to move in together, but without deviation, always almost immediately from the inception of them co-habiting or beforehand. In Enough, little Gracie, Slim and Mitch's daughter, was at least three or four years old when Mitch delivered the first blow. Surely during those early years of marriage Mitch would have shown at least some tendency towards aggression? Apparently not in this case! The second thing which I found very unusual was that once Slim decided to pack her bags, grab her daughter and leave, little Gracie didn't mention or ask for her father at all....at least not for quite a long time. Is that normal? I don't think so! When my own parents split up, my six-year-old mind was constantly on my dad, and I continually bludgeoned my mum with questions as to where he had gone. Why wasn't Gracie curious as to what was happening, e.g. why she'd been scooped up by her mum, then carted around almost the whole of the USA trying to escape from her father? The way the storyline of Enough progresses, I found to be equally unreal and that gave me the feeling that the film was made for entertainment more than anything else, even if that wasn't the intention of the direction/production team and screenplay writer. The path Slim travels in her quest to completely disentangle herself from Mitch becomes less and less convincing as the film progresses. Although the beginning of Enough is too rushed, what happens afterwards drags on abysmally, being a conglomeration of incidents where Slim (with Gracie in tow) attempts to dodge, duck and dive from Mitch's efforts at locating her, none of which to me held any deep or penetrating meaning. There are a lot of situational and psychological aspects revolving around domestic violence which I feel Enough didn't home in on properly, hence perhaps giving a misappropriated view of the reality of anybody truly in a similar situation. I thus feel that the film is perhaps unhelpful as a guide or an eye-opener in that area, sending out all the wrong messages loudly and clearly. Although I realise my opinion as it stands is in the minority, I really do feel that aside from any entertainment value it may hold - and for me that isn't much - Enough is a film which takes a serious, very worrying topic, and turns it into a bit of a circus. However, there is one scene within that I did find very disturbing....but having said that, on the one hand I know things like that really can and do happen, but on the other hand, and referring back to what I've said above, such I feel certain would have occurred much earlier on in Slim and Mitch's relationship than it did. For me, films which deal with domestic violence that are far more convincing and powerful than Enough, are What's Love Got To Do With It (Tina Turner's story of her life with Ike Turner) and The Burning Bed, a 'B' film starring Farrah Fawcett-Majors in what probably was her best role. Those two films deal with the subject in a far more realistic, convincing and thought-provoking way, whereas in Enough, I feel that it almost made a mockery of what is an extremely harrowing situation for some people to be in. On a final note, I always when it comes to films which home in on domestic violence feel it necessary to say, is that not all victims of such are women....men go through it too, yet there is little or nothing in the movie world which deals with the issue from that side of the coin. Overall, I honestly wouldn't recommend Enough for anything other than Jennifer Lopez's fairly good acting. I was bored for much of the time with this film which lacks true credibility, breathing a sigh of blessed relief when the closing credits rolled. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the time of writing, Enough can be purchased on Amazon as follows:- New: from £2.91 to £9.40 Used: from £1.98 to £9.40 Some items on Amazon are available for free delivery within the UK, but where this doesn't apply, a £1.26 charge should be added to the above figures. Thanks for reading! ~~ Also published on Ciao under my CelticSoulSister user name ~~ Read the complete review |
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Memento (DVD)
by SWSt Memento is definitely one of those films where the less you know going in, the better it is. Like The Sixth Sense, the film's narrative works best if you're not sure what to expect. At the same time it's almost impossible to write about without giving away a few minor pointers... but rest assured this review will contain no real ... spoilers! Leonard Shelby is a man on a mission, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his wife. Unfortunately, Leonard has a problem: he suffers from short term memory loss, meaning that he cannot remember conversations he has had with people, or even who those people are. His solution is to take photographs of people and places he knows and add brief notes to prompt him. To ensure he doesn't forget the most important facts about his wife's murder, he has had them tattooed onto his body. Memento is one of those clever films that combine an intelligent storyline with an interesting structure, well developed characters and an intelligent approach to film-making. It is a slow-burning film that gradually reveals both answers and more questions, so if your cinematic preferences lean towards gun battles and car chases, you may struggle with it. Like all slower, intelligent films, though, it's worth giving it a chance The film is very cleverly structured with the narrative being told back to front. Once you have got your head around this, it's an intriguing concept and one which is used well. Each new iteration of events opens up a little bit more information, enlightening the viewer a little more and helping them grope towards understanding what has happened. As more and more facts are revealed, the viewer constantly re-evaluates their opinions: some characters who initially seemed helpful and friendly are slowly revealed to be unpleasantly manipulative; others who appear untrustworthy turn out to firm allies. Memento constantly challenges the viewer and, if you want to get all philosophical about it, regularly asks them to consider what is "real". It's in the constant repetition of events that Nolan's skills as a director really come to the fore. Whilst the story might have a somewhat confusing structure at times, Nolan makes it as easy as possible for the viewer to understand what is happening without spoon-feeding them. He repeats certain sequences that show how the various events fit together, but doesn't over-do it. The film is well structured so that each time you answer one question, it prompts several more, keeping your interest right up until the final credits. Memento is one of those films that bears repeated viewing. The fractured, backwards nature of the narrative means that the first (even second) time you watch it, you are holding onto its coat tails trying to work out what is going on. By the third or fourth viewing, you are more comfortable with the general direction of the plot and so are better placed to concentrate on the nuances and subtle clues. Guy Pearce is superb as Leonard. Given that Leonard is the main focus for much of the film, it is essential that he is likeable. Yet the audience also needs to be aware of his darker, more dangerous side, without losing their sympathy for him. Pearce manages this balance superbly, so that the viewer constantly roots for Leonard, even when they discover some of the more unpleasant truths about him. The same is true of Carrie-Ann Moss as Natalie. Like so many other characters, Natalie is not all she initially appears to be and the viewer's opinion will be constantly shifting over whether or not Leonard can trust her. Although Moss turns in a relatively understated performance, it is one which perfectly balances Pearce's and the two fit well together. The same is true of the third main cast member: Joe Pantoliano as Pearce's (possible) friend, Teddy. In many ways, Teddy is the most ambiguous character; even within the same scene he seems to shift from trustworthy to outright liar within the space of a few seconds. Pantoliano plays this role perfectly, playing Teddy as someone completely without guile who merely wants to help his friend, whilst doing things that will lead the audience to suspect his real motives. The point about all these characters is that they are all deeply ambiguous. At times they seem deeply likeable; at other times selfish and horrible. The way the viewer will see them cleverly shifts as the film progresses, and you are never quite sure what to make of them. Even once the film is done and the backwards narrative fully revealed, you are never entirely sure whether some characters were what they seemed. Memento is deliberately ambiguous and confusing - albeit in a good way. Enthralling, intriguing and interesting in equal measure, Memento is a brave and thoughtful film in this explosion and sequel-obsessed Hollywood era. It's not going to be to everyone's tastes, but if you enjoy films that treat the reader as an intelligent being instead of a dribbling vegetable, then it should be on your list of must-see films. Basic Information --------------------------- Memento 2000 Director: Christopher Nolan Running time: approx.. 113 minutes Certificate: 15 © Copyright SWSt 2013 Read the complete review |
Crime & Thriller DVD |
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211 reviews Genre: Crime & Thriller - Thriller / Theatrical Release: 1999 / Director: M. Night Shyamalan / Actors: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment ... / DVD released 08 January, 2001 at Hollywood Pictures Home Video / Features of the DVD: PAL - "I see dead people," whispers little Cole Sear (Haley Joe... |
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167 reviews Genre: Crime & Thriller - Thriller / Theatrical Release: 1999 / Director: Frank Darabont / Actors: Tom Hanks, David Morse ... / DVD released 30 October, 2000 at Warner Home Video / Features of the DVD: Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen - "The book was better" has been the complaint of many a reader ... |
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1 review Actors: Luis Tosar, Alberto Ammann, Antonio Resines / DVD / Director: Daniel Monzón / Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment / Release Date: 9 Jan 2012 |
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Genre: Crime & Thriller / Suitable for 15 years and over / Director: Alfred Hitchcock / DVD released 2011-09-05 at Universal Pictures UK / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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Genre: Crime & Thriller / Suitable for 15 years and over / Director: Robert Harmon / Actors: Stephen Baldwin, Stephen McHattie, Tom Selleck, Saul Rubinek, Viola Davis ... / DVD released 2007-06-04 at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Features of the DVD: Subtitled, PAL |
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1 review Genre: Crime & Thriller / Suitable for 18 years and over / Director: Ben Drew / Actors: Riz Ahmed, Natalie Press, Ed Skrein, Mem Ferda, Jo Hartley ... / DVD released 2012-10-08 at Revolver Entertainment / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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Hitchcock Collection (Dial M For Murder, I Confess, Stage Fright, The Wrong Man, Strangers ... (DVD) Genre: Crime & Thriller / Parental Guidance / DVD released 2009-09-28 at Warner Home Video / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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Genre: Crime & Thriller / Suitable for 15 years and over / Director: Robert Harmon / Actors: William Devane, Tom Selleck, Viola Davis, Vito Rezza, Kohl Sudduth ... / DVD released 2007-08-27 at Sony Pictures Home Entertainment / Features of the DVD: Subtitled, PAL |
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Genre: Crime & Thriller / Suitable for 15 years and over / Director: Michael Radford / Actors: Charles Dance, Greta Scacchi, Sarah Miles, Joss Ackland, John Hurt ... / DVD released 2011-09-26 at Sony Pictures / Features of the DVD: PAL |
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Genre: Crime & Thriller / DVD Release Date: 2012 / Director: Alex Kendrick |
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